"I feel numb. I just want justice to be done. I want the person, and if there were other people involved, I want them to be brought to justice," she said. "Because he is gone he can't defend himself. We want answers. We want to know why."

Anzaldua was found in the front yard of a home in the 200 block of Farm-to-Market Road 1683.

Louderback said the victim suffered from blunt force trauma to the head.

"He had such an easy spirit about him. He was a fun, loving guy. He loved fishing, dancing, music. He did all that. ... I just can't believe that someone would do this," Anzaldua said.

Louderback said Perez has run from law enforcement, and they are searching him out.

"We contacted all of the surrounding agencies, and we are still actively following leads on where he may be. I think he will show up before too long," Louderback said.

The sheriff said it took nearly two weeks to issue the warrant because there were many people involved and investigators had to piece the night together.

He said he is not sure when Perez ran.

Anzaldua said Jackson County officials have been in contact with the family about the investigation, but she believes the investigation has been too slow.

She said she believes it could have been handled better.

"It is hard. To see his kids, his grandchildren, we are all devastated. You always think your loved ones will leave because of natural causes or an accident but not someone taking their life," she said.

Diana Anzaldua, the victim's daughter, said she also believes the sheriff's office has acted too slowly in the case, adding it could be a reason Perez was able to flee.

She said she might hire a private investigator.

"We just want justice for my father. We didn't get a chance to say goodbye to him. We didn't get to say a lot of things to him. And we have no closure, no information. It is just very frustrating," his daughter said.